The paper was published in the journal Journal of groundwater science and engineering on March 20, 2023. (https://doi.org/10.26599/JGSE.2023.9280001)
Groundwater is a valuable resource, and a significant geologic agent that plays an active and sensitive role in the environment. As groundwater research progressed from the hydrogeology stage to the ecological environment stage, accurately describing particle motion and pollutant migration of groundwater became challenging. Unfortunately, this issue has not yet been resolved.
Groundwater plays a distinct environmental function compared to surface water. In the past, we have placed a greater emphasis on the resource function and water supply capacity of groundwater, particularly the potential of deep groundwater for large-volume, high-quality water supply. However, this approach led to excessive groundwater exploitation, resulting in numerous ecological and environmental problems.
There are two main issues with groundwater utilization. Firstly, due to pollution and the limited capacity for single-well water recovery, shallow groundwater that is easily recharged and circulated and is often left unused. This leads to the continuous rise in the phreatic surface and a thinner vadose zone, resulting in the development of swampy conditions. Secondly, excessive exploitation of deep confined groundwater leads to extensive land subsidence and ground cracking, which severely limits regional economic and social development.
Previous research has provided some insights regarding the understanding of the formation, evolution, recharge mechanisms, and environmental effects of groundwater resources. The evaluation of the composition of groundwater resources, especially the groundwater recharge volume, and the questions of whether, where, how much, and how groundwater can be exploited have also been addressed. However, these insights have not been fully valued.
Groundwater can be considered as a large natural chemical laboratory. Throughout the process from recharge to runoff and finally discharge, groundwater inevitably interacts with surrounding rocks via various leaching, dissolution, and deposition processes under different conditions such as temperature, pressure, acidity, oxidizing and reducing reactions. As a result, various exchange of energy and matter, as well as physicochemical and biochemical processes take place, which have a long lasting impact on the quality of the ecological environment. Therefore, if the relationship between humans and the land is considered the most important foundation for promoting harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, then hydrogeology is the “golden key” to unlocking this mystery.
Although significant progress has been made in many areas after years of efforts, there are still a number of challenges that need to be addressed in order to promote the construction of a beautiful and healthy China. Despite the integrated protection and restoration of mountains, water bodies, forests, fields, lakes, grass and sand, the role of groundwater and its assessment, conservation, and regulation are still being determined based on concepts and principles. There is a lack of systematic and in-depth research on the impact of the subsurface environment on the human living environment, as well as the relationships between the geological environment and the production, living, and ecological space.
Groundwater is an extremely valuable carrier of information, interacting with water-bearing media and other relevant environmental elements to form rich traces that can be used for source identification and indication of environmental changes. As such, it is crucial for future hydrogeological research to focus on accurately describing these traces and gaining a comprehensive understanding of groundwater through interdisciplinary research and the comprehensive application of various techniques and methods.
Hydrogeology develops mainly through theoretical research, experimental research, and the application of techniques and methods. However, it is widely recognized that basic research has been weakened since the adjustment of hydrogeological disciplines. In particular, large-scale laboratory simulation experiments and observations, which were once vibrant, are hard to see now. Traditional theories, techniques, and methods are still widely applied, indicating a lack of innovation. The current situation is certainly unfavorable for the development of hydrogeology.
Finally, I would like to address the importance of “going one step further” in geological work. While geological work is highly fundamental in many aspects, it is crucial to break through the limitations of expertise, systems, and mechanisms in order to drive it to serve a wide range of fields. These limitations are not limited to the separation between prospecting and mining, as seen in soil geochemical surveys. Large-scale soil geochemical surveys have been performed across China, revealing both large areas of soil contamination and the distribution of many beneficial elements. However, taking the next step to conduct appropriate follow-up studies and provide in-depth services has rarely been done. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt our working methods and research contents to meet the latest demands. Taking that extra step forward can lead to the emergence of a new scene.
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About Journal of groundwater science and engineering
Journal of groundwater science and engineering was founded in 2013 to foster understanding of groundwater sciences and engineering, sponsored by China Chapter, International Association of Hydrogeologists, the Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology under CAGS, and Commission on Hydrogeology, Geological Society of China. It is a peer-reviewed and open access journal, which publishes quarterly in English, without any charge. It is included in ESCI, SCOPUS, DOAJ, CAS, CABI, GeoRef, AJ, CNKI, CQVIP, etc. It mainly reports the latest and most important achievements in cutting-edge and emerging topics, as well as the traditional topics referring to new methodology, technology, applications and theoretical research in groundwater science and engineering, including review papers, research papers and reports etc.
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